Pakistan refuses to learn despite Peshawar: academic

Despite the Peshawar massacre, the Pakistani government and military refuse to recognize the root causes of terrorism, an academic said in comments published Sunday.

Hassan Javid also warned in The Nation that attempts to deploy terrorist proxies in Jammu and Kashmir and Afghanistan would only backfire.

"It is increasingly clear that ... the government and military establishment are refusing to engage with the root causes of militancy and terrorism in Pakistan," said Javid, a professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

"Relying on a parochial and exclusionary interpretation of Islam to define the nation and legitimize the state will only breed violence and intolerance, just as indulging and supporting militant extremists in the hope they can be deployed as proxies in Kashmir and Afghanistan will inevitably backfire and produce more of the same tragedies this country has endured over the past two decades," he said.

Javid's comments come amidst a national mourning in Pakistan following the massacre by terrorists of over 140 students and teachers in Peshawar last week.

Javid noted that "people like Hafiz Saeed ... have been quick to pin the blame for the incident on India, alleging that support for the attack came from our eastern neighbour.

"Unsurprisingly, this is a view parroted by no less a personage than (former president) Pervez Musharraf, and repeated ad nauseum by 'senior analysts' invited to pontificate on talk shows."

He added: "In the past week, leaders of 'banned' militant outfits have appeared on national television to denounce India.

"When visions of 'strategic depth' and paranoia vis-à-vis India lead to the nurturing and protection of holy warriors inspired by a desire to kill infidels, is it really so surprising to find them turning their guns on the 'infidels' closer to home?"